‘Only concern’: Bent says Mourinho’s tactics may not suit new Tottenham signing

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Darren Bent has said to Sportology TV that he has concerns that Matt Doherty may not show his best form at Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs brought in Doherty from Wolves over the summer as Mourinho looked to tighten up his back-line.

The Republic of Ireland international’s role at Tottenham is slightly different to the one he was playing at Wolves, though.

At Molineux, Doherty was deployed as a wing-back and was given licence to get forward at every possible opportunity.

However, the 28-year-old generally lines up in a back-four at Spurs, which requires him to be slightly more defensively focused.

And Bent has some question marks over whether Doherty will be able to show his best in Jose Mourinho’s system.

“I always liked Matt Doherty when he was at Wolves, I thought he was a tremendous player,” he said.

“My only concern with that one was that we always saw the best of him when he played in a back three and he was a right wing-back.

“But, as a flat right-back, I’m not quite sure if we’re going to see the best of him.”

Doherty is yet to really dazzle in a Tottenham shirt, and he actually could face a fight for his place at the weekend.

Serge Aurier put in arguably his best performance in a Tottenham shirt in their most recent outing, as he helped them to a 6-1 win over Manchester United.

In time though, Doherty is expected to become Tottenham’s first choice to start on the right-hand side of their defence.

Doherty simply looks a much more dependable full-back than Aurier, who has been prone too making too many defensive mishaps to be relied upon on a consistent basis.